The present invention is directed to a closure mechanism especially suited for X-ray inspection apparatus.
It has become necessary for safety and law enforcement purposes, to inspect various articles, such as suitcases, briefcases, packages, etc., that are brought into or taken out of a building or onto an airplane, put in the mail, etc., to detect weapons or other contraband and/or valuable items which may be stolen. As a result, it has been necessary to inspect large volumes of such articles, thereby requiring the inspection apparatus to be operable quickly and efficiently, including the time required to introduce an article into the apparatus and remove it after inspection. Such inspection apparatus are desired to have good reliability and low cost so as to propagate their use for achieving the ends of safety, law enforcement, and theft control.
One type of inspection apparatus is that which contains a compartment into which an article, such as a briefcase or package, is placed and inspected by means of X-rays. It is desirable that such apparatus have a short loading and inspection cycle time, to maximize their throughput, but such must not be at the risk of safety to persons using and present near the apparatus.
The present invention serves to achieve the goal of a relatively high volume inspection device, with satisfactory safety (i.e., X-radiation safety) features and relative ease of use.